Most rape victims are suffering from Rape
Related PTSD which may make the victim feel very disoriented.

At this
stage victims may do or say things which aren't logical. While it's important
to make a victim feel that they have regained control over their life
and decisions, victims often have great difficulty functioning after an
assault.
It is crucial that the people around them educate themselves to:

The links
below will help you begin to understand and help your loved ones. If
you are reporting a rape you should ask the local crisis center for a
victim's advocate
who will walk you through the process. For
information on Reporting
a rape click here.

Most
rape survivors need to speak with a crisis counselor. You can find one
at 1 800-656-HOPE in the US. Rape crisis centers often offer free in-person
counseling as well as phone support. Survivors should also seek therapy
from a specialist in rape trauma syndrome (also look into EMDR).

"Two main styles
of emotion were shown by the victims within the first few hours after
the rape: expressed and controlled. In the expressed style. the victim
demonstrated such feelings as anger, fear and anxiety. They were restless
during the interview, becoming tense when certain questions were asked,
crying or sobbing when describing specific acts of the assailant, smiling
in an anxious manner when certain issues were stated. In the controlled
style, the feelings of the victim were masked or hidden, and a calm, composed
or subdued affect could be noted. "

What can you expect
after a person has been raped?
In most cases these symptoms prevent rape victims from functioning at
full capacity and helping themselves. It’s important at this time
for others to give their support and help protect them.

Coping and Reactions - Rape Trauma Syndrome. What to expect from an assault
survivor.

" There
is no one way to identify if someone has been sexually assaulted unless
she or he or someone close to them tells you that this has occurred. However,
there are several signs/symptoms of rape trauma (a type of post-traumatic
stress) which may help you to identify if a friend needs help."

End Abuse Campaigns:
Reaching Men
Coaching Boys into Men
Boys are swamped with influences outside of the home – from friends,
the neighborhood, television, the internet, music, the movies… everything
they see around them. They hear all kinds of messages about what it means
to “be a man” – that they have to be tough and in control.
There are numerous conflicting and some harmful messages being given to
boys about what constitutes “being a man” in a relationship.
So teach boys early, and teach them often, that there is no place for
violence in a relationship.

"But often,
simple human contact is the most important thing for a shamed person.
Even this can be difficult to offer because shame makes people withdraw.

"The most important
thing is to keep up contact with someone -- for example, the kid who drops
out of college and is now a strung-out marijuana addict," Tangney
says. "Marginalized people -- and nobody is more marginalized than
the mentally ill -- need to have a place in society. That is a very powerful
message that should be attended to by communities, whether they are religious
or family or neighborhood communities."

Approaching a
shamed person can be tricky, Josephs warns.

"If you
see shame preventing someone from getting health care, you can confront
it as irrational," he says. "You can say there is nothing to
be ashamed of, and if people hear it, they hear it. But when you point
out that they are ashamed, people can get touchy and angry. If you point
out their shame, you could get into a fight. So bring it up, but in a
tactful way, knowing this is a tough issue."

Tangney says
that the best approach is to avoid further shaming. The first thing to
offer is support and empathy. Rather than confront a person's shame, it's
better to point out -- very, very gently -- how a person's behavior is
harming areas of life that the person really values.

"There is
a lot of evidence suggesting this is a good approach," Tangney says.
"And to my ears it is all about shame reduction."

The author is not responsible
for any contents linked or referred to from his or her pages - unless
s/he has full knowledge of illegal contents and would be able to prevent
the visitors of his site from viewing those pages. If any damage occurs
by the use of information presented there, only the author of the
respective pages might be liable, not the one who has linked to these
pages. Furthermore the author is not liable for any postings or messages
published by users of discussion boards, guestbooks or mailinglists
provided on his or her page. The author is not a psychiatrist or physician
/ medical doctor or legal attorney of any sort. This website is not
intended to replace medical, psychiatric or legal care. Please seek
professional attention as needed.The Information provided is not intended
to replace obtaining medical evaluations and health care advice from
qualified health care providers. This site's owners are providing
Information for reference only, and do not intend said Information
to be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical conditions,
or for any other purposes.The owner/author of this site MAKES NO WARRANTIES,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF
SAID INFORMATION, OR THE FITNESS OF THE INFORMATION TO BE USED FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, LOSS,
EXPENSE, OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND TO USER, OR TO ANY THIRD PARTY, RELATED
TO THE USE OF SAID INFORMATION. Persons accessing any Information
of the rape crisis information web site, directly or indirectly, assume
full responsibility for the use of the Information and understand
and agree that the author of rape crisis information is not responsible
or liable for any claim, loss, or damage arising from the use of said
Information.